On a chilly day in late February we had the chance to watch Eric brew a batch of a new special beer…drumroll please… it’s a saison!

Eric’s backyard brewing system – 50 gal. capacity

A little background on the style…though Saisons are old hat among craft beer enthusiasts they may not be as well known to some folks. For those that don’t know, the origin of the saision style is Belgian in its roots – what a great fit for us at Wild Heaven, right? Right. Specifically originating in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium, you’ll usually see saisons being described as French or Belgian ‘Farmhouse Ales’. These farmhouse beers were typically brewed in the autumn or winter for consumption during the summer for seasonal farm workers, called les saisonniers. And as you can probably guess, ‘saison’ is French for ‘season’.

Things haven’t changed much from the origin and purpose of the style if you ask us; the perfect beers after yard work (somewhat urban farming, eh?) are saisons, pales and hefes/wheats even. Depends on how high you are comfortable going ABV-wise though, saisons nowadays are usually on the higher side – 5 to 8% vs the old days where they were more like 3 to 3.5% ABV. So yeah, the modern-day versions clock in at around 7% most of the time and are highly carbonated, fruity, spicy, refreshing… DELICIOUS.

Alright, now back to the point of this post…Eric brewed a saison back in February with pink peppercorns and lime zest and then he aged it on chardonnay-soaked oak chips. For now it’s going by the name ‘White Blackbird’ and the ABV comes in at around 6% (to see more pictures from our brew day click the link after the event listings below).

There are THREE very fantastic opportunities to try this beer during the month of April, info below:

Classic City Brew Fest in Athens: Sunday, 4/7: We’ll have our regular lineup at this most excellent event, plus a cask of White Blackbird is making its 2013 debut. This is a fest that we never miss; get tickets now ‘cause they’ll be sold out very soon.

Hop City Beer Tasting at Octane Westside: Wednesday, 4/17: Join us and our friends from Hop City for a FREE beer tasting from 5:30 to 7PM at Octane Westside. We’ll have a cask of White Blackbird in addition to the regular lineup. Free glass w/purchase of a pint!

Parker’s on Ponce Beer Dinner: Thursday, 4/18: Join us for a 5-course meal at Parker’s on Ponce. We’ll not only have our usual lineup (psst, Eschaton is making a special appearance) but also some White Blackbird. $45 per person.